Stay With Me
by heavensboy
Summary: After the battle has ended, in which a secret has been spoken, Captain Steve Rogers seeks out Dr Bruce Banner to fulfill his duties as team leader and friend. Oneshot, Steve/Bruce.


**A/N: Right, I know a sequel to Winter's End is long overdue, but I've been too caught up in this fandom and I just HAD to write something for it! Sorry guys! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this :)**

**Warning: There might be a minor spoiler for those who haven't seen the movie yet.**

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"That's my secret, Cap. I'm always angry." Those were the last words Bruce said before he let the anger take over, setting off the reaction that turns him into the Hulk. The Other Guy. He quickly tore off his shirt, already twice the size he was before, and gave off such an animalistic roar that Steve couldn't help but watch, fascinated yet scared. That was until alien cries reached his ears again, and he spun around and tossed his shield at the same time, taking out three of the Chitauri in one hit.

It was later in the evening when Steve walked into the living room of the Avengers Mansion, and he saw Bruce sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.

"Hey, Bruce. Are you okay?" Sitting down next to the doctor, he reached out and put a hand on the man's shoulder.

"What?" Flinching, Bruce looked up to see the Captain's blue eyes fixated on him. "Oh, yeah... Yeah I'm okay." Silence filled the room, neither man speaking. It was eventually Steve who broke it.

"Bruce, is it true?"

"Is what true?" Of course, he knew what Steve was asking, but he never felt comfortable talking about it.

"What you said before, about how you're always angry. No, Bruce, look at me." He said as the other man turned to look back at the floor. "It's not healthy, you know. You can't keep it all bottled up inside you forever."

"Yeah? And what do _you_ know about it, Captain?" Bruce shrugged the Captain's hand off him as he stood up, towering over Steve as he sat still on the couch. "Do you know how careful I have to be whenever I hang around with you guys? Do you know how _afraid _I am that I'll suddenly change when I'm out on the streets? Do you know how much it hurts _every time_ the other guy comes out?" At that, Bruce broke down, the tears flowing from his eyes freely. Steve jumped up at once to hold the smaller man in his arms, leading him back down until they were both sat on the couch again. "It _hurts_, goddammit, and I can't even do anything about it." Bruce mumbled into Steve's shoulder, his arms wrapping around the other man's waist.

"Shh, Bruce, it's ok. I can't even begin to understand the amount of pain you go through, but the Avengers... We're your friends, Bruce. You should feel safe with us, not scared. Most of us have suffered one way or another, and we _will_ help you through this." Steve leaned back, still holding onto Bruce, until he could see brown eyes looking back at his own blue eyes. "Listen, the Hulk might not be as bad as you think. He saved people today, Bruce. Is that what bad people do? Save people?"

"No..." Bruce whispered but kept eye contact.

"Exactly, and besides, he also saved Tony. When none of us could reach him in time, he _saved Tony_. What would've happened if you weren't there, Bruce? Tony would've... He might not have made it." He rubbed at the tears forming in his eyes and gave a small chuckle. "I'm meant to be the one comforting you, yet it seems I'm the one in need of comforting now."

"It's alright Steve. Like you said, we're all here for each other, right?" Bruce smiled up at him, only just realising how close they've gotten to each other. He breathed out slowly. "Steve... Thank you."

"It's fine, as Captain, it's my duty to make my teammates feel better." Steve leaned down slowly, waiting to see if Bruce would move away. When he didn't, he closed the gap and pressed his lips softly against the doctor's. Bruce froze. He couldn't say he was shocked by it, however, seeing as how close they were already. But all too soon, he felt the Captain pull away, and he snapped back to his senses. He pulled Steve back down to recapture his mouth, realising that he wanted this, _needed _this.

"Captain... don't leave." He managed to say between soft kisses.

"Don't worry, I'll always be here, whether you need me or not." With one final kiss, Steve stood up, lifting Bruce with him. "Come on, it's late. Let's get you to bed, yeah? We can talk more in the morning if you need to." They made their way up to Bruce's bedroom, and when the doctor had slid his way under the covers, Steve joined him on the other side. Bruce turned and gave him a quizzical look, which got him a soft smile.

"Bruce. When I said I'll never leave you, I meant it." At that, he settled down and wrapped his arms around Bruce once again, holding him close.


End file.
